Scaffolds are useful tools to access elevated work areas. Appearing more stable and providing a larger work platform than ladders, they seem to be even easier and safer to use. However, poor set-up and misuse can result in serious workplace injury or death.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that:

 17% of all construction related falls resulting in a fatality involved a scaffold

 72% of these scaffold accidents were caused by unsafe setup, use or failure to protect the worker from falling material

 25% of workers injured in scaffold accidents had received no scaffold safety training

 77% of scaffolds were not equipped with guardrails when required These findings are neither unusual nor unique.

Besides the impact these claims have on the cost of insurance, there are also many other costs which can significantly impact your business.

When you consider the cost of replacing damaged equipment, the loss of a productive worker, lost production, possible damage to customer property, it makes sense to prevent these losses instead of continually trying to overcome their costly results.

This Alert provides some suggested safe practices that may be useful in preventing scaffold related worker injuries. It does not address all regulatory requirements or best practices.

Selection: There are many different types of scaffolds all designed for specific purposes. Scaffolds generally fall into three categories:

 Supported: Platforms supported by rigid, load bearing members such as poles, legs, frames and outriggers

 Suspended: Platforms suspended by ropes or other non-rigid means from an overhead structure

 Aerial Lifts: Vehicle mounted devices used to get a worker to an elevated position (e.g. cherry pickers or boom trucks) Knowing the purpose of these scaffolds will help to select the right one for the job.

Once the type of scaffold is determined, the next step is to determine the strength needed for the specific tasks.

In general, all scaffolds, manufactured or constructed, must be able to support their own weight plus four times their maximum intended loads.

The supporting capability of a scaffold, or its duty rating, is stated in pounds per square foot.

There are 3 scaffold duty ratings:

1. Light : Capacity 25 Lbs./Sq.ft.

2. Medium : Capacity 50 Lbs./Sq.ft.

3. Heavy : Capacity 75 Lts./Sq.ft

Additionally, key scaffold components such as suspension rope and connecting hardware must be able to support six times the maximum intended load.